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July 2nd, 2009
12:35 am - I can get add on lenses for my cameraphone? sweet.
I bought this for my phone:
It's a little lens that adheres, sticky-note style (non-permanently) to the phone. You sort of paste it over the camera, and when you're done you pull it off and put the cap back on (to protect the sticky). This one is a closeup lens.
The surprising thing is that it does really well.
My watch
A penny.
I don't know why this image is smaller. 336x248 is not a setting the phone even offers.
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June 30th, 2009
05:18 pm - One injured Storm
Storm was climbing the tree in the side yard today and she fell. She got a concussion, broke three teeth, was delirious, and got pretty bruised up. They did a cat scan though and no internal bleeding. We're leaving the hospital now.
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June 26th, 2009
10:13 pm - shut up and stick to what you're good at
It's as good a plan as any.
1. Calling down the rain
( +16 )
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11:15 am - Ok, Mister President, let me see if I have this straight.
You, with the backing of Phillip Morris, have banned the sale of clove cigarettes, and other flavored cigs.
Except, you are exempting Menthol cigarettes. Menthol isn't a flavor? No, it's a flavor. Here's why not menthol:
- Phillip Morris manufactures menthols, so it would hurt their bottom line if those were banned
- Menthols are popular with the black community, and that wouldn't work well for Obama. Can you imagine? lol
The idea behind banning flavored cigs is that these are preferred by youth. But we know that menthols are popular in the black community. So is that to say black youth are not worth protecting? That is what this bill implies.
All we have here is an anti-competitive measure, and an expansion of federal power. It's targeting imported products, exempting popular domestic products, and declaring that federal power now supersedes state power on this issue.
Argh. And they wonder why we don't vote. It's because no matter who you pick, they find a way to screw things up.
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June 24th, 2009
12:24 pm - Flexing some HDRI
(click pic for larger version)
I'm quite pleased with the overall look of this one, especially considering the three exposures where shot handheld. You can see some foliage movement at the left side, but that is the nature of these things.
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June 21st, 2009
09:56 am - Happy fathers day
Storm made me breakfast in bed. Awww!
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June 20th, 2009
04:41 pm - Happy birthday Ianlyzu!
Kori, seen here doing the hand jive, out on the birthday barge on Watauga Lake.
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June 19th, 2009
11:09 am - Weird day in Internet land, half-ass connectivity
Thought the net was out this morn, but noticed things here and there will still working. Our VOIP lines still work. Facebook and Livejournal IM still work (though yahoo, gmail and others dont). I can get to yahoo but not google, can't get to microsoft. I can get to LJ. Windows update can tell me there are updates, but it won't download them. Stupid flaky internet.
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June 18th, 2009
07:11 pm - At the home of nonspecific
And lo, there is no power. Thank you strange storm season. Tonight we shall grill.
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June 16th, 2009
08:30 pm - Hold on to your hat, east tn
The weather is getting a bit spinny.
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June 15th, 2009
04:54 pm - Roller Derby Time
I have waaaaay too many pics. Random assortment follows. Little City Roller Girls (our team) vs. the Brusin' Burgs.
1. Warmups
( + 20-something more )
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11:45 am - Birdeh
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Focal Length: 500.0mm
Exposure Time: 0.0020 s (1/500)
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO equiv: 640
Exposure Bias: -0.33
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Spot
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
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June 12th, 2009
June 10th, 2009
10:55 am - Amazon.com oddness
Why, if you go to Amazon and enter Amazon.com in the search field (early morning error, don't ask), does it offer this as the first result?
1. Get it by Thursday, Jun 11 if you order in the next 8 hours and choose one-day shipping. Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping.
This is on a browser that is not logged in and cookies cleared, so I don't think it's me. What do you get?
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June 8th, 2009
09:08 am - IT'S SPAM TIME
OFIM good people. As you may know, spam is like a word association game for me, I judge the quality of spam by the first thing that pops into my head when I read it.
"You can be ugly and stupid as long as your shaft is big."
Why am I picturing Vern Troyer walking next to Samuel L Jackson?
"Boost your health with Acai Berry."
acai thx bai
"You will find online shopping for drugs very convenient."
You will also find you have new package delivery guys in blue uniforms.
"After you enlarge your penis you can feel all the enjoyments of this life."
But, you must feel only with your penis, that is the catch. "Hey honey, feel how soft this sweater is... OMFG WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?"
"Feeling unneeded in bed? We can change it to different feeling."
Like unneeded at work too.
"Satisfy Your Loveer"
I am particularly intrigued by this combination of the words "lover" and "veer". Except that the word "veer" is typically heard in news reports, as in "...causing him to veer into oncoming traffic". Perhaps you will satisfy him/her so much, they will veer into traffic. But seriously, you shouldn't be doing that while driving. Get a room.
"Being a real man is a hard job, but it's easier with a blue pill."
Real men choose the red pill, and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
"Bust a move"
Says she wanna dance cuz she likes the groove, so come on fatso just bust a move. You want it, baby you got it...
"Vacancy of the accounting assistant"
You got that right, she's a total airhead.
"You hate when your friend down there ignores a hot chick."
Freakin' Igor, he has a one track mind. Always with the brains, that one! Igor, get out of the graveyards and bring me a hottie!
"Loan mortgage car"
Guys, come on, you aren't even trying anymore. Don't give up. At least make an attempt to get past the filters.
"Is this a photoshop?"
No, this looks spammed. I can tell from some of the pixels, and from seeing quite a few spams in my time.
"Amazing weight loss in the shortest time possible"
Try the Eviscerator 2000! It slices, it dices...
"Continues to Execute Aggressive Development of Immune-O-Therapy"
What exactly is "Immune-O-Therapy"? As in, Immune Orgasm Therapy? I may be willing to try this. And you say you are developing it aggressively? Even better. :)
"Age is no longer a barrier for me in bed"
Yep. I'm now dating 90-year-olds.
And, because I appreciate innovation even if it's spam, I share this with you... some enterprising spammer made the word viagra made by coloring in blocks of an html table. I got it in an email entitled "Allarm!":
Its fun! Resize your browser to watch the word change. It's like they emailed me a toy. I'm still not buying any though.
TTFN,
Vaughn
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June 7th, 2009
09:53 pm - Fun photo shoot... Roller derby!
Our local roller derby team, the Little City Roller Girls, asked if I would shoot their next home match. I used to work with one of their jammers, Chick Norris, and was recently seen buying a polished lava pendant from their other jammer, so I got the double whammy and agreed to do it. Not that it actually took any convincing, roller derby has kitsch, sex appeal, violence, and retro coolness. What is there NOT to like? Plus you are shooting fast action in a large interior space with varying distances in poor lighting, so its a real challenge.
I'll post pics from the event when they are ready, but for now I just want to share that I had a blast.
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08:36 am - Success is...
Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.
-Thomas Alva Edison
I used this quote this morning (Lorelei was wishing she had mad guitar skillz), when Melanie chimed in from the kitchen. "Don't forget respiration".
"Well, that's true, or you'd have a bunch of talented but suffocated dead people. How about this... Success is 10 percent inspiration, 10 percent respiration, and 80 percent perspiration."
But then Storm yells from the bathroom... "What about transportation?"
She's right. You can have mad skillz till last Tuesday, but no-show = no spotlight.
"Ok, good point, you need to get there. So success is 10 percent inspiration, 10 percent respiration, 10 percent transportation, and 70 percent perspiration."
Now I'm wondering what else success requires. Emancipation? Innovation? Bloviation?
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June 6th, 2009
12:46 pm - Crazy cat
Emma went tearing through the living room like hell itself was after her, and used my foot as a banked corner.
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June 5th, 2009
11:36 am - Moved my site again, and google gadgets broke
I moved my site again, to an even faster server than last time. Nice side benefit of working for an internet company.
A weird thing happened though, my google gadgets quit working when viewed on my iGoogle homepage. What was baffling me is that before making the site live I checked that both my cron job was working correctly to generate the updates, and that the generated files were happy and accessible. Example of happy and accessible file: http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/googlegadgets/random-landscape-photo.html
The error was an odd one too, a 403 access forbidden. Yet I could view the files just fine, outside of the igoogle page, which meant some combination of Google's handling of the link and my new server made it barf. Google links directly to the file, but they append all kinds of parameters to the url:
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/googlegadgets/random-landscape-photo.html?lang=en&country=us&.lang=en&.country=us&synd=ig&mid=62&ifpctok=-7539280821549177493&exp_split_js=1&exp_rpc_js=1&exp_track_js=1&exp_ids=300403&parent=http://www.google.com&libs=hvXvLcAdreI/lib/liberror_tracker.js,V_hCLz15ZAw/lib/librpc.js,MgYjoHVg2rQ/lib/libcore.js&view=home
I separated out params one by one, and tracked it down to this one as the problem: parent=http://www.google.com
Spent about an hour trying to write an .htaccess RewriteRule that would remedy it, maybe encode the slashes and color or something, and then realized it was never even getting to my rule. Why? I went through server logs and eventually figured out that the new server is running the EasyApache ModSecurity module, and ModSecurity is taking offense to the "=http://www.google.com", thinking it is an injection attack.
So, I had to learn how to write rules for ModSecurity, and eventually wrote one to allow the google gadget requests to go through.
Ah, what fun.
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June 3rd, 2009
01:17 pm - Ug, me tie rock to neck, me crafty
Here's a better pic of the necklace I made myself last weekend:
I guess the picture says it all. Rock + parachute cord + knots = a wearable thing. Slipknots allow for adjustability. It's simple, it's masculine, I like it.
Only problem is that all those holes hold water when you shower, and when you lean forward later it gets your shirt wet. :)
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01:00 pm - How come when software says "optimize image"...
it always means "reduce the quality of the image by compressing it, thereby making it look worse"? It's like going to a restaurant and being handed a check... except that you aren't being given money, you have to pay. Stupid backwards language.
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May 31st, 2009
01:39 pm - Vultures following you...
... Is not a good omen.
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May 30th, 2009
04:04 pm - Minor creative exercise
Pictured below is the cool-as-shit necklace I made for myself out of paracord and a smoothed disc of volcanic rock. Length is adjustable via double sliding knots in the back, and I love the way it looks. I'll post better pics later.
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10:34 am - myfirsttat.jpg
My First Tat?
Tats-R-Us?
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10:23 am - no-trespassing.jpg
Seen while sourcing my morning coffee.
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May 29th, 2009
06:30 pm - Cuddle land
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01:39 pm - Looooong exposures are your friend
So I went to the quarry cave again, this time with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) nonspecific. I hooked up the remote switch and set the camera to the bulb setting, so I could hold the shutter open as long as I wanted. Then came the fun part... using my extra-bright flashlights to "paint" the cave with light, only lighting the areas I wanted. It was nearly dark by the time we left, and definitely dark by the time we made it back to the car. As nightfall approached, a heavy mist settled into the cave, making for a surreal experience. When the lights were off, it was pure black, and when on, it seemed pure white, and you could barely see any better. Also strange, was that just 10 or 15 feet apart, and I couldn't understand Kara at all, due to all the echoes. In short, I had a blast. :)
Then suddenly, photos:
Near the entrance:
Exposure Time: 30.000 s
Aperture: f/5.0
ISO equiv: 400
Lighting: natural lighting from left, lesser so from right, fill-in by flashlight
( +2 )
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May 27th, 2009
03:33 pm - And speaking of Rogue
In the latest Xmen movie, what the hell was Gambit's mutant power supposed to be? He was just sort of ninja'ing around, laying smackdowns with a deck of cards, and flying with a stick. It was very unclear. Super-gambling, I got. The rest was vague.
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03:17 pm - Would you like to come to my Moustache Party?
I can't decide what I like better, the name of the product or the graphics:
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May 26th, 2009
03:58 pm - Spring!
I am getting behind on posting again, I need to increase the frequency. These are various pics I shot with the Sigma 150-500mm whilst at my parent's house.
( + several )
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May 24th, 2009
10:17 pm - some HDRI's
The batch from the tunnel didn't work out due to a lack of bright data (I really did need the tripod after all) but I think I've got the hang of it now with properly exposed photos and the newer software. The photos show some differences due to variations in the settings... I'm still deciding what I want these things to look like.
HDRI = High Dynamic Range Imagery. Take multiple photos of a wide contrast scene, varying the exposure up and down to capture the full range of data available. Using special software, you combine the images, and use tone-mapping to convert the scene-wide contrast into "micro-contrast". This compresses the tonal range a bit, and enables details that would have been lost to come through.
Here's some images I made a couple years back to explain it...
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/miscimg/hdr1.jpg (3 exposures)
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/miscimg/hdr2.jpg (result)
1.
( +5 )
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May 23rd, 2009
May 20th, 2009
09:47 am - Ford says the color of my car is "spruce"
I say it's "meh green". For when you couldn't really care less what color it is.
Meh green, because gray makes too much of a statement.
Meh green, for those times when "mint" is too courageous.
Meh green, because medical green isn't comatose enough.
Meh... green.
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May 17th, 2009
12:04 pm - Omg smells so good
Just bought this white sage incense at earthfare... Damn it smells good.
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May 16th, 2009
03:15 pm - Ok, T-mobile, this is ridiculous
Ok, I've been trying to find a Security contact at T-mobile, or really, any human who can help. Here are my support options:
 | | If you’ve got questions about your phone, plan, services, or bill—we’re here for you. We offer a variety of ways to get in touch. |  | | It’s the fastest, easiest way to get your questions answered. Browse online support, change your plan, pay your bill, and manage your account, anytime you like. |  | | Ask questions and get help from other T-Mobile customers in our Community Forums. |  | | Find a T-Mobile store near you using our store locator. We’ll even give you driving directions. |  | | Chat live with one of our specialists. If all agents are busy, you can even send us an e-mail instead of waiting. |  | | Get in touch, free of charge: Just dial 611 from your T-Mobile phone or call 1-877-453-1304. Customer Care representatives are available from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST, 7 days a week. Automated account help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. |  | Send your questions and comments to T-Mobile Customer Relations, P.O. Box 37380, Albuquerque, NM 87176-7380.
Please don’t send payments to this address. You can pay your bill online, by phone at 1-877-453-1304, or if you prefer to make a payment in person, find a payment center near you. |
Ok, #1 doesn't even count, it's stuff like "how do I push buttons" and "my phone is making a ringing sound, what do I do?"
#2 ... I'll get to that.
#3 I called the store, rather than drive down. They don't have a clue who to contact. They told me to call customer support.
#4 Instant Chat help:
#5 I called customer support. After determining that she had no appropriate contacts, she told me to go to the "Contact Us" section and email. I read to her the options available under "Contact Us". She went and looked herself. "That's strange, usually we have a way to contact us." I couldn't help but laugh at that point. As in, I spit coffee on my screen a bit when she said it. "No, no you don't. It's always like this." She couldn't get me anyone to talk to, nor an email address of anyone in the web or security departments, and apparently her supervisor couldn't be bothered to even get on the line when someone reports a security issue. To her credit, rather than leave me empty-handed, she gave me the email address of the CEO. Mind you, I've tried discussing security with CEO's before, and it either results in (1) legal theats or (2) inaction, or action that takes months. So while I appreciate her effort, I have my doubts it would help. I will email the guy as a last resort though.
#6 "Write us a letter"? Are you kidding me? Where are the fucking email addresses people???
Ok, so having exhausted my other support options, I figure I'll follow their suggestions and post to the forums. Nothing like posting to a bunch of users "Hi, I can probably steal your password" to get some attention. So that's what I'm doing.
EDIT: a forum mod was kind enough to respond. Wish me luck.
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09:44 am - Subterranean companion request
I've got a hankering to photograph earth from the inside. I plan to visit the abandoned 5 caves quarry in kingsport, followed by a trip to nearby Sensabaugh tunnel (not Click tunnel, which many think is Sensabaugh... If you can drive through it, its not sensabaugh). I've got coordinates in my blackberry. I want to do this soon. Any takers?
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May 14th, 2009
11:55 am - Lab rat strapped to the table, ready to go
I've avoided this as long as possible, but today I'm sitting at the docs office waiting to discuss my depression meds. They just aren't doing the job anymore. Its been going on for a while... at first it was minor enough to overlook, then it was an annoyance but I could work around it. Lately its been giving me genuine difficulties, putting roadblocks everywhere, and its getting old.
As you may or may not know, I HATE having to change these meds. I don't like playing guinea pig with my brain. If there are disagreeable side effects they can take weeks to manifest, and even longer to realize you're having them. I mean, if your hands just turned green, it would be obvious, but the nature of the beast is that it changes your brain processes... the same brain you are experiencing the world with. From the inside, it can be hard to tell that, say, you are becoming withdrawn, or whatever.
Ugh. I do dislike this.
People don't usually understand. If I say I'm feeling depressed they usually say "you need to change your meds". The thing is, even when you are on meds, you can still get depressed, sad, etc. It doesn't stop emotions, it just keeps them within normal bounds. A bad day at work shouldn't RUIN my week for instance, but without antidepressants, that can happen. With them, I still have the bad day, may feel crappy for a while, but then I get over it. So if I feel depressed, the first question I ask myself is "is this depression just normal emotions"? It not always easy to tell, so I play the waiting game and see how it goes.
Then there are fluctuations in the efficacy of the meds. They work better some times than others. Again, the only way to tell is to wait it out, and these are longish cycles.
So. If I jumped meds every time I felt bad, it would be a constant game of russian roulette. Which I loathe to play even once. If I have learned anything about depression it is that I have to take a long term view.
I'm just rambling about a corner of my life while I wait. Feel free to ignore.
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May 13th, 2009
05:01 pm - My bark is worse than my bite
(4:41:19 PM) vaughnteegarden: oh, did I tell you I got a new car?
(4:41:36 PM) vaughnteegarden: it's made of wood.
(4:41:49 PM) vaughnteegarden: it's a two cedar.
(4:42:01 PM) vaughnteegarden: but I was out driving, and got it into an oakcident.
(4:42:05 PM) vaughnteegarden: then it wooden run.
(4:42:41 PM) Leslie: lol..... that was horrible
(4:42:59 PM) vaughnteegarden: thank you. I try.
(4:43:14 PM) Leslie: ::hugs::
(4:43:24 PM) vaughnteegarden: now i'm pining for a new one.
(4:43:36 PM) Leslie: groan
(4:47:25 PM) vaughnteegarden: one nice thing about a wood car is you can count on it having a nice trunk.
(4:47:32 PM) vaughnteegarden: but you have to be able to drive a stick.
(4:47:52 PM) Leslie: stop please
(4:50:06 PM) vaughnteegarden: just trying to spruce up your day. fir sure.
(4:50:59 PM) Leslie: I beg for mercy
(4:51:12 PM) vaughnteegarden: you want me to leaf you alone?
(4:52:36 PM) Leslie: PLEASE STOP
(4:55:32 PM) vaughnteegarden: Sorry. I mitre stopped sooner if I knew it would upset you. I'm being knotty.
(4:56:33 PM) Leslie: what have you done to Vaughn?
(4:57:45 PM) vaughnteegarden: he wasn't very poplar, so I weeded him out.
(4:59:52 PM) Leslie: I hate you
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10:36 am - The Webstats Hath Spoken! "Top Ten Photographs"
Some of these results surprised me, so I thought I'd share. Commentary follows the list. According to my webstats, these are my ten most popular* photographs:
10. Meow
http://www.vaughnsphotoart.com/index.php?page=meow
( Number nine... )
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08:51 am - Meeeeetup
Went to the Johnson City photography meetup last night. Only three of us showed up, but a good time was had nevertheless. Todd was there with some great photos of a little latino girl playing the tambourine and dancing with her mom. Crystal was there with her new Rebel and lots of good questions. And myself of course, just glad to be getting out of the house. I'm having to work to keep from getting stuck inside my own head right now (depression), so maybe if I can get some "getting out" momentum up it will help.
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May 10th, 2009
12:02 pm - Happy yo mamma day
Happy mother's day to all you moms out there!
Mel got the royal treatment this morning, with coffee in bed followed by breakfast in bed. Breakfast consisted of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, an omlette (with spinach, portabella mushrooms, colby jack, diced/drained tomatoes and bacon crumbles), and sliced avocado with a squeeze of lime on the side. I'm told it was quite good. She also got the wii fit she wanted. :)
Mel wants to stay home today, so I'm going to see my mom later in the week.
Remember your mom today!
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May 9th, 2009
08:51 pm - Mister Shootamatic
I'm sort of the unofficial photographer for Storms "girls on the run" team, and today I shot over 8 gb of photos at the 5k race. I gotta get an 8 or 16 gb card one of these days. I can burn through what I've got in no time. Not to mention another battery, but they are hard to find right now.
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08:53 am - storm5k.jpg
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May 4th, 2009
12:31 pm - Watch yourself, T-mobile users
T-Mobile signed me up for autopay without my authorization. Just looked at my checking account and it was in the red because they had hit it for this months payment.
I *never* sign up for auto-payments. Given my situation, who would? I looked at what it takes to sign up on their website, and it is a clear, definitive process. Hell, one-time-payment is the default, you'd have to take separate and distinct actions to sign up for autobilling. I definitely did not do that.
So I went online, unchecked the "Easy-Pay" option. It asked me authorization info, I gave it. When I hit save, I went back to look and Easy-Pay was still checked!! I once again unchecked it and hit save, it asked me for no authorization info, but this time it looks like it stuck.
The moral of the story is, if you have Tmobile and use the website to pay, beware! Their money-bots are getting hungrier than usual.
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